


Only Course of Action

by WolfRuhl



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Blackwatch Jesse McCree, Blood, Dad Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Deadlock Gang, Feels, Implied/Referenced Torture, Just Friends, M/M, McHanzo - Freeform, Missions Gone Wrong, Non-Graphic Violence, Only hinting at them really, Past Character Death, Reaper76 - Freeform, Swiss Base, Talon Reaper | Gabriel Reyes, Undercover Missions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-03-11 11:16:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13523094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfRuhl/pseuds/WolfRuhl
Summary: Jesse knew he couldn’t run from his past forever, but he didn’t think he’d have to face it this soon.Strike Commander Jack Morrison is left in charge of Blackwatch during Commander Reyes absence, and when he hears rumors of Deadlocks return, sends Agent McCree as a double agent to gather intel so they can end it once and for all.  He doesn’t realize the gravity of what he’s done until it’s almost too late.Commander Gabriel Reyes, now known as Reaper, has been a Talon agent for almost two years now, and discovers dealings with the newly reformed Deadlock.  Seeing it as a chance to bring them both down, he sends word to Overwatch of the opportunity.





	1. The Past that Hounds Us

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place a few years after McCree joins Blackwatch. Features mention of several canon events, but I’m mixing up the timeline a bit. In this, the Swiss base was staged to allow Gabe access to Talon as a deep cover operative, and as far as the world is concerned, there is no such thing as Blackwatch. Also, Gabe is the only person who knows the full details of McCree’s role in Deadlock, he left it out of the reports and hadn’t even told Jack.

Commander Morrison leaned back in his chair and sighed loudly, running a hand through his hair tiredly. He had spent the last three days looking over reports that suggested Deadlock was planning something big, and the higher ups wanted him to send an agent in to infiltrate their ranks. It had been 4 years since Reyes had led the sting operation to shut Deadlock down, and came back with a 17 year old kid in tow. Jack shook his head, only Gabe would see potential in a cocky shit like Jesse McCree. So far, his intuition had been spot on, Agent McCree was quickly becoming one of Blackwatch’s best agents and after training under the sniper Ana, his skill as a sharpshooter was nearly as good as Ana herself.  


“Athena, send for Agent McCree please,” Jack said, setting aside the most recent reports on Talon’s activity. He knew McCree was the most logical choice, he just hoped the kid could handle it. As a former member, Deadlock would be more likely to trust him, and far as they knew Jesse had escaped the raid and was laying low up till now. Overwatch would plant a few rumors to ensure Deadlock believed the story. Jesse would be their eyes and ears within the gang, and with any luck, would get them the edge they need to bring Deadlock down for good.  


McCree paused mid-drag on his cigar, barely paying attention to Athena relaying Commander Morrisons instructions, reluctant to move from his sunny spot on the rooftop. Angela would have his head for smoking in the base, so the rooftop garden had quickly become his place to relax. The garden was one of the only places he felt like he could breathe easily. He found himself seeking the solitude more often the past few months since Gabe went undercover. Genji was the only other person he really talked to, one look at the brand on his forearm and others were wary at best. Blackwatch had its fair share of ex-criminals as agents, but even they went out of their way to avoid him. Before he left, Gabe had asked Jack to keep an eye on him, and it was easier for him to do that if Jesse was at headquarters. The animosity McCree encountered at Overwatch was wearing him down, he was tired of acting like he didn’t notice. At least when the Blackwatch commander was around they kept their thoughts to themselves, with him off on a mission, no one stopped the near constant harassment. Jesse knew Morrison wouldn’t allow it if he knew, but the man was so busy he hardly slept, and Jesse wasn’t about to add to his workload. He may give the man hell, someone had to tease him while Gabe was gone, but he was one of the very few people Jesse truly respected.  


“You shouldn’t keep the Strike Commander waiting Jesse, you know how strict he is,” Jesse was startled out of his thoughts at Genji’s quiet admonition. Getting up slowly, McCree grumbled out a quick response, and made his way to Morrisons office. By the time he got there, Jack was just getting ready to hunt him down himself.  


“McCree! You took your damn sweet time getting here,” Jack growled out, handing him a folder. “There’s a mission for you.”  


McCree took the folder with a smirk, it had been almost an hour since Athena had contacted him. His amusement dyed on his lips however, and his face paled slightly when he looked over the mission details. He could feel his heart racing in his chest and had broken out in a cold sweat by the time he finished the last page, closing the folder and pushing it back towards the commander. Jack saw none of this, his attention on the reports just sent in on Talons movements. Jesse quickly composed himself, wiping his face with his serape and tried to remember how to breathe.  


“Those are the Deadlock leaders known to have escaped the raid four years ago. According to my informants, Deadlock is planning a large scale operation, and we need someone on the inside to find out what that is. The higher ups believed you are the best suited, that the ringleaders will be more likely to confide in an old member. Whether they are recruiting or not another agent would undoubtedly take longer to gain their trust. As their best sharpshooter, Deadlock should jump at the chance to have you return to the ranks. I know this won’t be easy, think you’re up for it?” Jack stared intently at him, noticing something was off. After a few minutes of silence Jack’s face softened slightly, picking up on McCree’s labored breathing. Gabe hadn’t told him the details, but he knew Jesse had started running with the gang at a very young age, and not by choice. It couldn’t be easy to be faced with willingly going back.  


“It’s alright if you want to decline, I’ll think of something to tell higher ups. They’ll just have to make do with someone else, I won’t send a kid on such a dangerous mission... even if he is one of the best agents we have.”  
McCree looked up, shocked, he’d never heard the man compliment him before. As far as he knew, the Strike Commander wasn’t exactly fond of him. In Jack’s eyes, he was too reckless, and didn't follow orders, at least, that was what Jesse had believed up until now. Jesse closed his eyes for a moment, before making up his mind.  


“I..uh…,” McCree cleared his throat, taking a deep breath to calm himself.  


“I’ll do it.”


	2. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Swiss Base explodes, Jesse gets a lesson in learning the art of patience, and we find out what lengths Jack is willing to go to help his friends.

Genji, McCree, and Ana reported to Jack at the hangar the next morning. The man paced back and forth, tense and irritable. So much rode on the outcome of his mission. In a few hours he left for the Swiss Base branch, and he wanted to make sure the two young agents stayed out of trouble. Genji left for Nepal tomorrow, Zenyatta could keep him in line, but the cowboy was still a liability. Ana promised to keep him on his best behavior, fixing Jesse with a level gaze. McCree hid his flinch with a grin, remembering how his mother had looked the first time he’d picked up a gun. Ana’s brow raised a fraction, questioning him. Her sharp gaze, courtesy of motherhood, noticed his discomfort. He shook his head, assuring her it was nothing. The headaches happened more often of late. Ever since looking over the folder on Deadlock, his forgotten past was catching up with him. Jack nodded as he boarded the plane, Gibraltar was in good hands. Genji and McCree sent him off with mocking salutes.  


When the Swiss Base exploded three days later, Jesse was distraught. The news channels exploded with rumors of a terrorist attack. Ana immediately contacted agents at the base, worried for her friends safety. Luck was on his side, Jack came out unharmed aside from a few bruises. The contact informed her, of the 30 casualties, the only deaths were agents stationed at the base. More injured were coming in by the hour. An reporter managed to talk with a secretary at the scene, the story appearing nationwide. During a meeting with Jack and several other officials, Gabriel Reyes pulled out a gun. Reyes killed two of the officials before turning his gun on the Strike Commander. Jack returned fire, before an explosion caused the floor beneath them to crumble. Two of his shots struck true, hitting the man in the chest. His final shot grazed Gabe’s shoulder as he fell. Most of the world believed Reyes tried to kill the Strike Commander to usurp his position. The cowboy refused to believe any of them, they had to be wrong, there was no way in hell Gabe would have betrayed Overwatch. Winston and the others felt the same, but the evidence was overwhelming. Shocked, Gabriel was like a second father to her, Pharah contacted friends in Helix to find out the truth. Her Helix intel came back much the same. Commander Reyes had betrayed them.  


Jack’s appearance on the evening news dashed their last shred of hope. Covered in dust, bruised and battered, he corroborated the rumors. A live broadcast at the scene revealed the scope of the damage. The entire base crumbled without the support of its lower levels. Many were still unaccounted for, the Blackwatch commander’s body among them. Once the media had finished with him, he called Jesse. Jack knew the young cowboy wouldn’t believe him, but he had to try. Gabriel had volunteered to become the scapegoat for their plan. He needed the freedom to move without eyes on him, and no one would want to look for a dead man. They wouldn’t be interested in wasting time or resources on a terrorist.  
Once his call got through, Jack got interrupted before he even had the chance to speak. Several minutes passed before he could make out what was being said. The line was full of static, but he thought Jesse was blurting something about plane tickets. If no one was going to organize a search team, he would look for the Blackwatch Commander himself. It took far too long for Jack to convince him it wouldn’t do any good. Jesse ended the call in stunned silence, mulling over what Jack had told him. Hours later, Ana led the mentally exhausted cowboy to the med bay where Angela could keep an eye on him.  


After calling Jesse, Jack retreated from the public eye to prepare his disguise. The world was in an uproar, news of his heroism spread like wildfire. No one would recognize him as he was now, and he could get to their meeting place without being discovered. The setting sun shined down on his auburn hair, and dark lenses covered his bright blue eyes. He cast his customary blue coat aside in favor of a nondescript hoodie and jeans. A few hours drive from the base, Jack arrived at the shop Gabe arranged for them to meet at. Scanning the coffee shop, his eyes set on a cloaked figure. Jack wove his way around the tables to take a seat opposite the man sitting there. He ordered them both a coffee, jotting something down and slipping it in a napkin.  


“No one followed you?”, the man asked as he looked up. His owl like mask hid any emotion, one hand clenched around the mug in front of him. The soft noise of a boot tapping the ground drew Jack’s attention downward, as a hand reached out to grip his knee. He had no doubts Gabe, ‘Reaper’ he reminded himself, was worried.  


“No. Everyone is too preoccupied with the attack to pay any attention to me. Everything went according to plan.” To anyone passing by on the streets of Oasis, their meeting would be another shady business deal. Their plan had worked so far, albeit with a few missteps. Jack sighed, there would be a lot to answer for when this was all over, if they made it out alive. Most had already evacuated by the time Gabe had detonated the first bomb, but it was inevitable. No amount of planning could prevent a few accidents from occuring. They would shoulder the burden of the 11 civilian casualties for as long as they lived. It pained him, but the three of them had sworn an oath to bring Talon down no matter the cost. Even if it meant betraying the ideals they once stood for.  


“Do you have the information?” He said, Jack’s quiet cough bringing him back from his thoughts. He glared through the mask, hiding his concern with the growled words. When the time came, Gabe and Jack’s choices would mean the end of Overwatch. Gabe hoped their friends would still stand beside them when the organization fell. He worried the others might not trust them after their gamble at Swiss Base. But their plan was in motion, there was no turning back. Talon had crossed a line. They believed Overwatch was in the palm of their hands, that it was too weak to pose a threat. They could be right, about Overwatch at least. Jack and the rest of his team were constrained by all the rules and regulations the world imposed on them. Blackwatch was different. They worked behind the scenes. They were responsible for neutralizing any threats Overwatch could not deal with. Gabe and his men were in charge of cleanup. And Overwatch could remain the pristine savior the world believed it to be. Gabe stumbled across most of his men embroiled in some form of trouble or another. A scientist shunned by her peers. A cyborg, unfamiliar with his own existence, running from his past. He saw their potential, like he did Jesse’s, and offered them a position within his ranks. Reaper caught Jack’s attention with a soft cough, noticing his worried frown. Jack, preoccupied with staring at his friend’s shoulder, glanced at him in askance. Gabe shrugged. The bullet had only grazed him, he’d be fine. He was certain Jack was probably regretting his idea to “kill” Gabe himself, to make the story more believable. He was only supposed to shoot him in the chest, but the tremors had skewed his aim. Gabe chuckled into his hood, the kid was probably at his funeral right now.  


“Of course.” Jack slipped a few bills to the waitress who brought their coffee and told her to keep the change. The shop was in a pretty shady part of town. Less than legal business deals happened all the time, but it didn’t hurt to throw in a bit of bribery. He hoped their friends were handling Gabe’s death alright. It felt wrong, missing his funeral. But “Reaper” needed specialized equipment for his undercover mission. And they were both adamant not to involve anyone else. So that left Jack ditching his work, and pissing off his superiors. If their plan worked, he, Jack, and their friends wouldn’t have jobs to come back to anyway. Gabriel needed a way into Talon. The best chance he had was to “kill” Overwatch agents until Talon approached him with an offer.  


“Overwatch has pretty lax security for such a well known organization. I guess the recent explosion threw everything into chaos. It wasn’t too difficult to slip through the cracks of their security system.” Jack replied, pointing to the small briefcase at his feet. Gabe undid the latches, looking over its contents with a critical eye. The briefcase contained a comm unit and two nondescript, sawed off shotguns. The comm unit had the best security protections Athena had to offer, and set to Gabriel’s biometric code. It was his emergency line equipped with a GPS tracking chip if anything went south. If someone compromised the unit, Athena would cut the connection. The device would then be rendered useless. Jack had enlisted Torb’s help, under the guise of a Christmas gift. After the Swiss Base explosion his face was all over the headlines. Gabe’s Blackwatch issued shotguns would have been too recognizable. Gabe nodded brusquely, the gear had passed inspection. He removed an envelope from an inner pocket of his coat, setting it on the table. Through their actions, he hoped a new Overwatch could be born. One dedicated towards helping the world, with Jack at its head. The world needed people like Jack and Ana leading it. Someone would have to shoulder the blame for what they set in motion, better he be the one to take all the blame. He knew Jack wouldn’t agree, so for now he’d let him believe they would share the blame. The shadows suited him fine.  


“Here.” Gabe slid an envelope towards him. “This should cover your fee, plus a bit extra for your trouble.” The envelope contained the intel he gathered up to this point on Talon. Until now, ‘Reaper’ had been a mercenary hired by Talon on occasion, not yet a part of the organization. His death would allow “Reaper” the freedom to act out more and draw Talon’s attention. Their leader was sure to be intrigued when Overwatch started dropping like flies.  


“Then my business here is done, let me know if you need any more intel dug up. I’ll give you a discount.” Jack replied, sliding his untouched coffee towards Reaper. As he walked by he tapped the napkin twice with a wink. Reaper sat there for several minutes while he finished his coffee, and started on Jacks with a scowl. The man put way too much sugar in for his liking. Picking up the napkin, he read the note Jack had left tucked between its layers.  


The others are fine, Ana’s keeping an eye on things. Please be careful.

Commander Gabriel Reyes’ wake took place at Watchpoint Gibraltar. It was a sordid affair, with no body to bury, they were unable to hold a full ceremony. Their small group of friends mourned a portrait of the Blackwatch commander instead. Most were too shocked by the recent events to sort out how the they felt. They could hear the distant yells of the mob swarming at the gates shouting insults. Mere hours before the funeral ceremony, Jack called. He began informing them he wouldn’t make the funeral and asked Ana Amari to read Reyes eulogy. McCree was furious. He didn't believe for a second the explosion was Gabe’s doing. Gabe told him so many stories of the stunts he and Jack had pulled in the SEP program. It wasn’t possible. Even if Gabe had orchestrated the explosion, there was no way he’d turned a gun on Jack. Not without a reason. There had to be more to what happened. Jesse didn’t have long before he left for his Deadlock mission, he wanted answers before then.  
After a few rounds in the training room to blow off some steam, he cooled down enough to start thinking. Jack wouldn’t lie to him, not about this. He may not get along with Jack as well, but he did trust him. Jesse headed towards the Archives, intent on scouring every file if necessary. He could start by checking the mission archives database. There must be a good explanation for Gabe to turn on Jack. Jesse started by decoding the encrypted files, a skill picked up from a contact he knew back in Deadlock. She was an amazing hacker, he'd learned the basics from her before she left Route 66. He scanned through several folders until he found a few on Blackwatch. The next day he stumbled upon one labeled Gerard. His countenance grew more horrified the longer he read. Jesse stopped several hours later, unable to read more. He didn't want to believe what he'd read, but it would explain everything. Why Gabe would try to kill a man who had been at his side for years. Why Jack would force himself to kill his best friend. Talon must have done something to Gabe.  


Ana, who was shadowing him since the training range, cursed softly. She knew Jesse would be trouble, Gabriel had underestimated the kids determination. He should have known the cowboy wouldn’t believe a word Jack said. Ana kept a careful eye on Jesse over the next day. He kept to his room after his second visit to the archives, but she was beginning to worry. If he’d stumbled across the reports of Blackwatch agents going missing... He could jeopardize Gabriel's mission. Making her decision, the sniper invited him to her quarters for dinner. She said she had doubts Gabriel was dead, and wanted to speak with him. After they ate his burning curiosity finally got the better of him and Jesse started to ask why she had doubts. Ana apologized under her breath before shooting him with a sleep dart. She then sent an urgent message to Jack. before leaving and locking the door. Jesse might not forgive her, but it was only way to ensure he stayed out of trouble for a few hours. The cowboys digging could ruin everything they’d worked for. Jack rushed back to base three hours later. He and Gabe were finishing their meeting at the coffee shop when he received Ana’s message. She was waiting for him at the Watchpoint’s landing when he arrived. Ana immediately informed Jack of her suspicions. He knew they needed to handle it before Jesse did anything reckless. Jack braced himself, taking a deep breath, and headed straight to her quarters. Gabe owed him big time for this, he wasn’t looking forward to Jesse’s reaction when he told him the truth. It had been Gabe’s idea to keep him in the dark, Jack warned him the kid wouldn’t take it well.  


Jack was leaning on the inside of the door, his arm crossed in front of his chest, when Jesse woke up. It surprised the Strike Commander to see him awake in such a short time. Ana's darts were harmless, but very potent. Jack prepared himself for the cowboys anger. Jesse was bound to be angry they kept everything a secret. Jack was ready to face Jesse's resentment, his frustration. He wasn't prepared for the long, drawn out silence. He certainly didn’t expect the tears streaming down the cowboys face.  


“I thought he was invincible. That no one would be able to bring him down." Jack held his breath, surprised. It seemed the cowboy hadn’t come to the conclusion Ana thought. He didn’t think Jesse believed his lie, but he had. Ana slipped in at that moment, concerned because she hadn’t heard any shouting. Jack payed her no attention, focused on the young man crying in front of him.  


“After I read that stuff about Gerard and Amelie, I realized Talon must have done something to Gabe. Like they did to Widowmaker. And you were forced to kill him. To stop him before he hurt anyone else. Gabe's really never coming back.” Jack’s expression softened, Ana moved to wrap the cowboy in a gentle hug. Overwatch had hidden the scandal involving Gerard’s death behind layers of encryption. How the young man had managed to bypass them, was a question for another day. It did ease his mind knowing they’d managed to fool Jesse of all people, Jack felt that if he were fooled, the rest of world definitely believed Gabe was dead. But right now, they needed to set the record straight. Jesse was the last person Gabe wanted dragged into their mess of a plan, but it was too cruel to leave Jesse in the dark after learning about Amelie, and assuming the worst. Jesse couldn’t be more wrong.  


"Jesse. Listen to me. Gabriel is fine, he’s not dead. Talon didn't do anything to him." Jack said softly. He watched the myriad of emotions play across the cowboys face. Jesse’s face was like a rollercoaster as he glanced back and forth between them. Hope. Wariness. Joy. Disbelief. He finally settled on anger, lunging towards Jack with a fist raised. He caught it without effort, Ana taking advantage of the moment to slip through the door. She had advocated for their friends to be kept in the loop, it was Jack who decided not to. Now he needed to deal with the consequences alone.  


“You bastard! How could you. WHY would you?! How could you hide this from us? What could possibly be so important that you needed to fool you friends? I TRUSTED you.” Jesse shouted before stopping to catch his breath, breathing heavily. Jack was thankful their rooms were soundproof. He was drawing a breath, ready to berate Jack further, when the man let go of his fist with a sigh. He held up his hands i defeat, but his eyes dared Jesse to say a single word, startling the cowboy. Taking advantage of the sudden silence, Jack began to explain.  


“Calm down and listen. I’m sorry, we never expected you to start digging up the Amelie incident. Truth be told, we didn’t think you’d believe me at all.” Jack sighed, he felt a bit guilty. Whatever trust Jesse had had in him was gone now.  


“Listen up. I’m not going to repeat it. Tomorrow I will call everyone together, and I will explain everything then. You’ll just have to wait. Do you really think the others believed us? No. But they knew better than to go digging on their own. They would learn the truth when it was time for them to know.” Jesse relaxed a bit, not satisfied with the answer, but he knew Jack wouldn’t budge. Usually, Jesse was more level headed than this, his headaches must be wearing down on his sense of reason. Gabe taught him better than this. He knew that was all the explanation he’d get from Jack for now. It was better than he deserved. Gabe was alive, that was more than enough.  


Jack had Athena call the others to a secure briefing room the next day. He didn’t want to chance any more recklessness. After everyone gathered, he cut right to the chase and told them Gabe was alive. Their reactions were about what he expected, thankfully, he wasn’t sure if he could handle any more surprises. Reinhardt and Torb listened quietly, this was nothing new to them. They’d seen plenty of Gabe’s crazy schemes. Winston seemed disapproving, he thought it wrong to deceive them all. D.Va, Tracer and Lucio just seemed overjoyed. Once their friends quieted again, Jack moved on to the real problem. McCree leaned forward, Jack had already told him Gabe was alive, but he was eager to know what required them to keep their friends, their family, out of the loop. He had his suspicions.  


“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll get straight to the point. Overwatch is corrupt. Many of those in higher positions are using its funding and influence to pave the way for black market dealings. Commander Reyes and I want to put a stop to it. To reform Overwatch. As I’m sure you’ve noticed, Overwatch is no longer the world's light in this age of despair. And the world in turn, is beginning to lose its faith in us. We’ve laid the groundwork for change and I apologize for keeping you in the dark for so long, but we couldn’t risk any criminal organizations learning our plans. We’ve recently learned Talon and Deadlock are planning to join forces, and are recruiting heavily right now. It will be the perfect opportunity to get men on the inside. We’ve planned his undercover mission to give him the best chance of getting in. All those reports we’ve been getting about a masked assassin clad in black? That’s his cover alias, Reaper. For the past few months he’s been “killing” our agents for Talon, which has ties to the financial backers of Overwatch. In reality, those agents are part of a network of informants we’ve been putting in place, so Reyes can pass intel back to us. If we want to bring down Overwatch as it is now, we’ll have to take down Talon first. I’ve assigned Agent McCree to Deadlock to gather more intel. For now, the rest of us will have to wait until McCree and Reyes can find out what's going on.” The others looked to McCree in shock, they were surprised he was willingly going back to Deadlock. All of Overwatch knew he’d joined as a child, but those present didn’t care, they all had burdens to bear.  


“Winston, I’ll need you to program more of those comm units Gabriel asked for. If things go south, it may mean we all need to go into hiding. The comm units only have two functions. They can send a distress signal directly to Athena, and can receive signals as well. If a distress signal is sent out, the comm units screen will flash red three times and stay lit until the signal is answered. The second signal is for the recall if we need to lay low. The recall notification is one long beep and a blue light. It will display two buttons; a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’, signifying whether you can respond to the call or not. The query and the coordinates of our meeting place will appear only after a biometric scan. Winston, I leave the decision to send the signal to you. If we succeed, Overwatch will be disbanded and we will all become fugitives. The world won't have faith in us any more, they could very well hate us. I don’t fault anyone who chooses to leave now.” Jack waited a few minutes, and when no one even twitched, he continued. He didn’t expect anyone would leave, but he decision needed to be made.  


“Thank you everyone. Alright then. Lucio and D.Va. I want you two to start gathering intel. You have a massive following all over the world. We need people willing to alert us to any strange activity. Drug deals, weapons trade. Anything, however small, could be the key to bringing them down for good. We need eyes everywhere, the agents Gabe is giving cover for aren’t nearly enough to keep tabs on Deadlock. Let alone Talon.”  


“Mercy, I want you,Tracer, and Reinhardt to find somewhere for anyone who answers the recall to meet. We will need a new base of operations when Overwatch is shut down. Torbjorn, you’ll be in charge of the defenses along with Winston. With his help you should be able to integrate the Athena AI with your turrets. I pray it isn’t needed, Angela, but we need you to arrange for medical supplies and staff. You are an amazing doctor, but without help, you can only do so much. Once we lose the support of the world governments, we will be vulnerable. I want to be prepared for when that happens.”  


“Genji will be in charge of recruitment. I believe he’s out on leave right now, so I’ll fill him in when he gets back. McCree. I want you to get ready for when you infiltrate Deadlock. You only have a few days before Tracers friend takes you oversees, so you’d better prepare yourself. I’ve heard they're almost as much of a daredevil as Tracer herself.” Everyone chuckled, Tracer was well known for her antics while piloting.  


“Once it’s over, Ana and I will help where we can. Our faces are known by nearly all the world leaders as being founding members of Overwatch, we’ll have to work in the shadows.” Jack paused, Athena alerting him of an agent heading to his office for a mission status report. Likely the agent he sent to track down his missing undercover operative in Deadlock. John spied on Deadlock for years, but a few months ago they lost contact with him. The agent had strict orders to uncover what happened to him and report back immediately. If Deadlock had uncovered Johns identity, he was already dead.  


“You have your orders, and I’m sure it goes without saying your families are not to be involved. Everyone, dismissed.” Jack left quickly, he had an agent waiting to report and paperwork to fill out. It was earlier than they had expected, but their friends were in on the plan. They knew they couldn’t keep them in the dark forever, but he wished they didn’t need to be dragged in as well. He just hoped their plan succeeded, and no one died along the way.  


Jesse lingered in the room a while after everyone left, his mind swirling. If Overwatch was disbanded, his home would be gone. Uneasy, he decided to run through some drills in the training room to get his mind off things. It wasn’t long before nearly everyone present at the meeting stopped in for at least a short while. He wasn’t the only one seeking the mindless oblivion of training drills. Returning to his room, he found sleep hard to come by, the knowledge weighing on him heavily. The others also seemed rather subdued. Even Tracer, who was usually so energetic, smiled a little less. The cowboy busied himself with preparations for his mission over the next few days, visiting the training room every night. His He finally sought out Mercy, at Ana’s urging, after the fourth sleepless night. Nothing good could come of being sleep deprived for the mission. The next morning he reported to the Strike Commander in the mess hall for a final briefing.  


Jack filled him in on a few last minute details, namely John’s capture. The original plan was for him to make contact with the agent once he’d gotten in. Any information John had gathered thus far would be useful to McCree’s mission, but it looked like he’d be on his own. Jack directed him to stop by Winston’s workshop, he had equipment made especially for McCree, but it could wait until after the send off party. It was tradition for them to gather together before leaving on a long mission, there was no telling the next time someone wouldn’t make it back. D.Va was dying to throw a big party, and once she had her mind set on something, there was no controlling her. Lucio volunteered to D.J., and McCree helped Ana and Reinhardt prepare the snacks. He discovered Reinhardt loved to bake in his spare time, and was surprisingly good at it. McCree joked about him starting a bakery, and Torb and Ana joined. Soon everyone was laughing, imagining the hulking German dancing around the kitchen to Hasselhoff. After they ate, D.Va insisted they have a karaoke session.  


A few hours later, McCree left the others still partying. He departed on his mission the next morning, and his nerves were beginning to get the best of him. Thankful he had talked with Mercy earlier, the cowboy downed the last of his sleeping pills before getting into bed. The memories were coming back more frequently, and his headache was getting worse. Karaoke probably wasn’t the best idea, but it was fun at the time. He wasn’t just a cocky brat with a gun anymore. Jesse McCree, Blackwatch Agent, was a skilled sharpshooter trained by the best, and ready to face his past once and for all. Deadlock wouldn't know what hit them. He just hoped no one found out about his ties to Blackwatch, and Gabe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, its been far too long since I posted Chapter 1, but my new laptop (and new character Ashe) has given me some major ambition. Chapter 3 is almost done, in it Ashe will of course be making an appearance, and we find out what Jesse's life was like in Deadlock.


End file.
